Discount-wheel



(NoModeL) J. G. HUFFMAN.

DISCOUNT WHEEL.

Patented Ma-y 7, 1895.

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JAMES G. HUFFMAN, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

DISCOUNT-WHEEL.

SIlEIEICiIFIlIGATION forming part of Letters :IPatent No. 538,916, dated May 7, 1895.

application has February 21,1896. Serial rte/539.259. on model.)

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it knownthat I, J AMES G. HUFFMAN, of Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Discount-Wheel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in what I term a discount wheel, which-is a coinoperated wheel adapted to be revolved by the.

dropping of a coin in a slot, and which revolves a certain distance and stops at places which cannot be previously determined, the wheel in stopping pointing out certain discounts which are to be made to the person operating it in the manner hereinafter described.

A further object of my invention is to construct the machine in a simple, attractive and durable manner and also hang the wheel'in' such a way that it may be very easily revolved.

Another object of my invention is to provide a till into which the coins which work the wheel are dropped, andthe general object of my invention is to produce an amusing apparatus, which operates differently at different times and is adapted to indicate different percentages, as specified, so that it has the charm of speculation and may be used by a merchant to increase his trade.

To these endsmy invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the machine, and Fig.3 is a broken central vertical section of the machine on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

The machine is provided with a central revolnble wheel 10, which may be made in any approved way, but which, as illustrated,

is provided with a central hub 11, radial spokes 12, and a curved rim 13 to which the spokes are secured. The hub 11 is provided with an axle 14 having pointed ends which are journaled in boxes 15, these being held in the central supports 16 of the case 17, the main body of the wheel being covered by sure to set the wheel in motion.

glass sides 18 to which the supports 16 are attached.

The case which incloses the wheel is provided with a stationary rim 19 which is supported on abase or pedestal 20 which is re.- ,cessed in the center, as shown at 21 to form a till into which the coins are dropped. The base is hinged in the middle, as shown at 22 so that it may be swung open to remove the coins. The rim of the wheel is provided with projecting ribs 23 and 24 which divide the groove of the rim into a series of pockets, and when a coin is dropped into one of these pockets it causes the wheel to revolve, the wheel moving different distances according to the pocket into which the coin is dropped. This is because the ribs 23 and 24 project at different angles, and consequently a coin dropped against a rib 23 will be dropped sooner than one dropped against the rib 24, as the latter projects at a more acute angle to the face of the wheel.

The coins 25 which turn the wheel are dropped into the pockets through a slot or chute 26 in the upper portion of the case 17, the slot being off the center of the wheel so that when a coin is dropped through it it is The slot 26 is provided preferably, at its outer ends, with projecting lips 27 which are secured to the rim 19 of the case, and which thus practically form an extension of the slot.

Beneath the wheel is an opening 28 which is made in the rim 19. the edge walls of the opening being rounded, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, so that the coins 25 may readily drop through thesaid opening,and when so dropped they are delivered upon the dumping plate 29 which is hung in the upper part of the till and which may be seen through a transparent panel 30 in the base 20. The dumping plate 29 is, hung on a rod 31 which has a handle 32 at its outer end to turn it, so that when desired it may be tipped over and the coins dropped into the lower portion of the till.

On the upper part of the rim 19 is a hand 33 which projects opposite the rim 13 of the wheel, and the rim is marked as shown in Fig. 1, with the numbers 1, 2 and 5, although thisis an arbitrary arrangement and other numbers may be used if desired, the numbers being varied according to circumstances. Both sides of the machine are alike, so that its working may be observed from either side.

The machine is operated by dropping the coin through the slot 26, and the weight of the coin turns the wheel; and when the coin is carried around to the opening 28 it drops through, thus permitting the wheel to stop. If the coin is held by one of the pockets until it passes the opening, it is carried partially up the opposite side of the wheel, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.1, and then drops through the opening 011 the return movement of the wheel, the weight of the coin causing the wheel to swing back until the coin reaches the opening 28.

The machine may be operated in a number of ways, but the following examples will illustrate its use and the manner of its operation: Suppose, for instance, that a customer wishes to invest a nickel in trade with the merchant who has a wheel of the kind described. The customer drops his nickel in the slot 26 and it passes into one of the pockets of the wheel, revolving the wheel in the manner described, until the nickel is deposited and the wheel stops with the hand 33 indicating say, No. 1. Then the customer gets any article valued at a nickel which he desires and which the mer chant has to sell. If the hand should indicate No. 2, the customer would be entitled to two articles. If the wheel should stop so that the hand indicated 5, the customer would be entitled to five five cent articles, and so on. If, on the other hand, the wheel should stop and the hand indicate a point centrally between any two numbers, the customer is entitled to one five cent article, so that in any event; the customer gets value for his money.

If the wheel is used for a discount wheel, instead of the marks 1, 2 and 5, the rim is marked with numbers indicating different percentages, usually from one to twenty-five per cent. and after he has purchased a bill of goods,'the merchant hands him a coin which the customer drops into the wheel as above described, and when the wheel stops, the hand indicates a certain percentage, which represents the discount the merchant must deduct from his bill of goods already purchased.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A discount wheel journaled on a support and provided with circumferential pockets having walls of difierent pitch, and a coin chute arranged to deliver into the pockets, substantially as described.

2. A machine of the kind described, comprising a revoluble wheel having exterior marks thereon, and a series of circumferential pockets with walls of different pitch, a coin chute delivering into the pockets, and an indicating hand held adjacent to the marked portion of the wheel, substantially as described.

3. A machine of the kind described, comprising a supporting case having an opening in the bottom and a coin chute in the top, a revoluble wheel journaled in the case and provided with circumferential pockets having walls of different pitch, the pockets being adapted to move opposite the coin chute and the opening in the case, a series of distinguishing marks on the wheel and a hand socured to the case and projecting opposite the marked portion of the wheel, substantially as described.

4. A machine of the kind described, comprising a case mounted on a hinged base having a till therein, the case having a coin chute at the top and an opening at the bottom delivering into the till, a revoluble wheel journaled in the case and provided with circumferential pockets with walls of different pitch, a series of marks on the exterior of the wheel, and an indicating hand secured to the case and projecting opposite the marked portion of the wheel, substantially as described.

5. A machine of the kind described, comprising a containing case having transparent sides and a base with a till in it, the case having a bottom opening delivering into the till and a coin chute at the top, a revoluble wheel journaled in the case and provided with circumferential pockets having walls of different pitch, the pockets being arranged opposite the coin chute and the case opening, a series of marks on the rim of the wheel, and a hand secured to the case and projecting opposite the wheel, substantially as described.

JAMES G. HUFFMAN. Witnesses:

H. C. WALLACE, FRANK L. HUFFMAN. 

